Honorable John Carona, Chair, Senate Committee on Transportation & Homeland Security
FROM:
John S. O'Brien, Director, Legislative Budget Board
IN RE:
SB1571 by Hinojosa (Relating to the issuance of certain permits for overweight vehicles.), Committee Report 1st House, Substituted
No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.
The bill would add Subchapter O to Chapter 623, Transportation Code, to provide an optional procedure for the issuance of a permit and collection of permit fees by the Port of Corpus Christi Authority for the movement of oversize or overweight vehicles carrying cargo on a road or highway owned and maintained by the Port of Corpus Christi Authority that is located in San Patricio County or Nueces County. The bill would specify that the permit fee may not exceed $80. The bill would specify that the fees could only be used for the construction and maintenance of port authority roadways.
The bill would authorize the Texas Transportation Commission (TTC) to allow the issuance of permits and collection of permit fees by the Port of Corpus Christi Authority for the movement of certain oversize or overweight vehicles carrying cargo in San Patricio County to and from the port authority’s La Quinta terminal. The port authority would be required to make payments to the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) to provide funds for the maintenance of the affected state highways, and could collect a fee of no more than $80 per trip for issuing permits. Revenue collected would be deposited to the State Highway Fund to be used solely for maintenance of the state highways specified in the bill, with the port authority retaining no more than 15 percent of the fees collected to offset administrative costs.
The bill would require the port authority to report to TxDOT all permits issued under the provisions of the bill.
The maximum speed limit allowed for movement authorized by a permit under the provisions of the bill would be no more than the posted speed limit or 55 miles per hour, whichever is less. The bill would authorize the Department of Public Safety to enforce the provisions of the bill under the permit requirements, and the Texas Transportation Commission would be authorized to adopt rules necessary to implement the bill.
Revenue gains to the State Highway Fund would depend on the number of permits issued by the port authority for the movement of oversize or overweight vehicles carrying cargo on state highways in San Patricio and Nueces counties.
Based on the analysis provided by TxDOT, it is assumed any costs or duties associated with implementing the provisions of the bill could be absorbed within existing resources. Also based on the analysis of TxDOT, it is assumed revenue collections from the issuance of permits by the port authority would be sufficient to cover the costs of maintenance of the affected highways.
Note: Although the bill would not make an appropriation, it would establish the basis for an appropriation.
Local Government Impact
Because the bill would not have statewide impact on units of local government of the same type or class, no comment from this office is required by the rules of the House/Senate as to its probable implication on units of local government.